Color Therapy and Aroma Therapy - Does It Work?

I have to admit, I'm a skeptic about a lot of things, especially when it comes to things that have to be taken on faith. Things that I call hooga booga. My wife on the other hand is a believer in all things mystical. Talk about opposites attract. Color and Aroma Therapy used to fall into the hooga booga category for me. I now believe that they both have some value with some aspects of our lives. I'm not about to tell you that they are the be all and end all for every affliction known to humanity as some would have you believe, but I have found some interesting research done in these fields. Why would I research something that fell into the realm of 'yea right?' Well interestingly enough, we were in the process of developing a night light for kids to help them feel safe at night. I read an article about certain colors of light disrupting sleep patterns. That made sense so I researched further. I came across many studies done by researchers & Universities on color and it's effects on the body. Most of the research has been done in the area of S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder). They have found that people in certain parts of the world that have short winter days or continuously overcast skies can suffer from depression. It's been proven that exposure to light that mimics the daylight spectrum can help with improving mood. Color is all around us and it's a function of light. The reason that we see in color is because all objects either absorb or reflect light at various wavelengths. In the early days of ancient Egypt, solarium's with specifically designed glasses and lenses were built to break up the suns rays into the different colors of the light spectrum. Fast forward a couple of thousand years to the 17th century. Modern day color theory was born. Isaac Newton conducted prism experiments and showed that light is truly a mixture of colors from the visible light spectrum. In the 1800's Dr. Edwin Babbitt published the book Principles of Light and Color. It was in this book that it was first suggested the use of color could be used to treat a variety of aliments, including sleep and anxiety disorders. This was of great interest to me since I was trying to develop a night light to help with this precise problem in kids. By the 1940's the Russian researcher Krakov, conducted a series of experiments and proved that light could affect the bodies functions. Main stream medicine has been slow to adopt color therapy, but at least in the area of S.A.D., it is very mainstream. As I did more research about what color would be best to use in a night light, I found Green and Violet seem to be the most effective. These colors seem to also help with children who suffer from ADHD. Painting your kids room one of these colors may help them feel calm and relaxed. There is also research that shows that being exposed to the color red may help a body increase the production of red blood cells. So people who are anemic might benefit. I won't bore you with all the colors and problems that they may or may not cure, but suffice it say, once I learned this information, I filed for patents for a series of lights, one of which is available now with others to follow. Aroma therapy was also in the hooga booga area for me. Once again, after research, I found that it has been around for centuries. The practice apparently started in India and is still widely followed there today. Studies show that certain aromas induce certain reactions within our bodies. For people who are having trouble sleeping, placing Lavender under your pillow or a Lavender spray in your room before going to bed may help. If you are interested in more information, just Google color therapy studies, or aroma therapy studies. You will find a treasure trove of research. Who knows? You may become a convert. This article is to provide information only. It is not meant as medical advice. You should talk to your doctor before trying any of these methods. For some, certain light or flashing lights can bring on seizures. Some essential oils may cause allergic reactions that can have deadly consequences.